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> Results: Gretzky NHL 2005
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With Sega Sports putting the value back into sports gaming this year, it's really hard to justify paying more than $20 for a sports game anymore. The ESPN line of products is uniformly good this season and ESPN NHL 2K5 is probably the best representation of real hockey that the sport has ever seen. It may come as a surprise then to find that Page 44 Studios has produced a very good hockey game for Sony that sometimes sports the brilliance of Sega's cheaper game. It might cost $20 more, but Gretzky NHL 2005 is definitely one to own for the completist hockey fan.
Gretzky NHL 2005 is a good simulation of the sport of ice hockey. For the most part players position themselves well on the ice and respond without the puck rather well. One major shortcoming is that defensemen often end up forechecking and getting out of position. When they should be manning the points, they're joining the rush and ending up deep in the corners. That often results in breakaways for the other team or a forward repositioning to play defense. That's not common in hockey and it does mess with what's expected. You also find the defensemen pulling out of the zone too soon or not playing inside the blue lines so watch out if you like to shoot from the point. These downsides are really the only things that detract from on-ice play though. Hitting, poke checking, passing, shooting... all the basics are very strong. The movement of the players is a bit on the "loose" side with it feeling like they don't have enough weight, but once you adjust to that feel the game plays great. Shooting the puck is especially well done since the game shows a target on the goal to indicate where you're going to fire a shot. Graphically, the game has high highs and rather low lows. The player faces are often ugly and not at all representative of the real NHLers. Animation is often a little stilted and not nearly as fluid as it could be. You'll also see some players get hung up on the goal or each other dancing a strange jig for a moment or two. On the other hand, replays are usually really great looks at the on-ice action. You'll see ice shavings flying and the puck will realistically arc through the air on its way into the net. Goaltenders look great too, making good contact with the puck. Never has the phrase "mixed bag" more aptly described the look of a game. There's online play available, but good luck getting a game. In three attempts to play some online matches on separate evenings including a weekend, I was able to get exactly one game. There are often times when there are only one or two people in the absolutely expansive online meeting rooms. The game does offer tournaments and leagues but with so few people online, you're unlikely to ever see that. The developers added a really cool feature where real sports scores are running in a ticker at the bottom of the game setup screens. The menuing is really nicely done for online play but since there's just no one there to play the game, you won't use it much. That is, unless you need to check the Knicks score. The game features a franchise mode, World Cup, Playoffs, Create a Player/Team and of course quick matchups too. There's an interesting rivalry mode where you play multiple games with two teams facing off. Franchise mode is fairly extensive and about what's expected in sports games these days. You can even select players in a fantasy draft to build your own squad and take them through a season. Since online play is fairly vacant, this is where you'll spend the bulk of your time and Gretzky NHL 2005 really doesn't disappoint at all when you're playing your franchise. Player rosters are as current as they can be with the lockout in the NHL right now. For example, the Flyers have Mike Knuble and Mark Recchi is gone. If the on-ice gameplay were just a bit more solid and it didn't seem like the players were light as a feather, Gretzky NHL 2005 would match up even better with ESPN NHL 2K5. There's a particularly inspired bit of music licensing too. The first time you hear Blue Oyster Cult's "Godzilla!" during a break in play you'll wonder why NHL teams don't use that song during games. This is a good game. It's just that Sega's had the better game for awhile now (EA's NHL series doesn't even figure into things if you want real hockey) and they're also selling it for half the price. Sega has also got a bigger following by far, so along with the ability to play leagues and tourneys online in ESPN, there are actual people out there to play with in those modes. It's sort of a shame that Sony's got a good game on their hands here but most sports fans aren't even going to think about playing it for a variety of reasons. At least if you're looking for a second hockey game this year, this is the one to get. 
The music chosen for the menus is mostly nu-metal/rock stuff and that might be objectionable to some folks. Otherwise, this is hockey with all that entails. Fighting can be common, men beat on one another and the pace is quick and often unrelenting. You need strong gamepad-fu to be good at the game so some smaller children might feel overwhelmed by the gameplay. The price is probably the biggest barrier to entry (broken record, I know) for this game for both adults and kids.
Kid Factor by Dave Long
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